Short answers, pulled from the story.
Risshō Kōsei Kai was founded on the 5th of March 1938 by Nikkyō Niwano and Myōkō Naganuma, both former members of the Buddhist sect Reiyūkai. They left Reiyūkai after its president declared that lectures and study of the Lotus Sutra were out of date.
The name translates as "Association for Establishing the Correct Dharma and Harmonious Achievement" or "Society for the Realization of Righteousness and Harmony."
Risshō Kōsei Kai has 6.5 million members, with the majority living in Japan, and operates over 240 churches and centers across 20 countries.
Hōza, or Dharma Circle, is an informal group session in which members sit in a circle led by a trained leader, share personal problems or shortcomings, and receive advice from other members grounded in Buddhist teaching.
Nikkyō Niwano helped found the World Conference of Religions for Peace in 1970 and became one of its leaders. He was elected president of the International Association for Religious Freedom in 1981 and had a private audience with Pope Paul VI at the Second Vatican Council in 1965.
The Niwano Peace Prize is an annual award given to an individual or organization contributing to world peace. It has been awarded each year since 1983, with the exception of 1988, by the Niwano Peace Foundation, which was established in 1978.